29 October 2012

As my plane touched down in Naples I breathed a sigh of relief. I walked down the runway and had an overwhelming urge to kiss the ground. Not because my plane trip was fraught with turbulence but it has been too long Italy! The first time I set foot on Italian soil I was 18 and although life has thrown me many curve balls my passion for Italy and travel has not wained. Italy it has taken 30+ years to pick up where we left off. You have so much indescribable beauty from the bustle of city streets to the jawdropping vistas. Every turn is an opportunity for another breathtaking photo, of which I can assure you I just keep on clicking! The sheer volume of beautiful and priceless art, stunning architecture, Roman antiquities and charming little corners are pretty overwhelming and definitely live up to all the hype.The next 4 weeks that I spend here I have the very best of intentions of practicing my new mantra "vive il presente" every waking hour of every day. It's hard not to be captivated by Italy's charming towns, superb wines, delectable cuisine, and awe-inspiring historical sites. As I wander the streets of Masse Lubrense and now the Amalfi Coast just when I think I've seen the most beautiful places and experienced the most unique aspects of the culture, I feel irresistibly tempted to explore more of it, because I know that that undiscovered hole-in-the-wall trattoria waiting for me just around the corner makes the best fresh ravioli to be enjoyed from its amazing panoramic terrace. This seductive, magnetic quality is what keeps bringing people back, and what makes Italy so addictive after all. Falling in love with Italy is easy as it truly offers something for everyone, from stylish bustling cities, to the postcard-perfect hills lined with vineyards and olive groves, to vertigo-inducing seaside towns perched on cliffs along the coast. A month in Italy will produce a whole new level of body image anxiety with visions of spare tires, "pasta pooch", rotoli, muffin top, pupa or even regaining my love handles. But I can't wait to share it all with you on my return.

Roads shouldered by enclosing walls with narrow

cobbled tracks for streets, those hill towns with their

stamp-sized squares and a sea pinned by the arrow

of a quivering horizon, with names that never wither

for centuries and shadows that are the dial of time. Light

older than wine and a cloud like a tablecloth

spread for lunch under the leaves. I have come this late

to Italy, but better now, perhaps, than in youth

that is never satisfied, whose joys are treacherous,

while my hair rhymes with those far crests, and the bells

of the hilltop towers number my errors,

because we are never where we are, but somewhere else,

even in Italy. This is the bearable truth

of old age; but count your benedictions—those fields

of sunflowers, the torn light on the hills, the haze

of the unheard Adriatic—while the day still hopes

for possibility, cloud shadows racing the slopes.

~by Derek Wilcott

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

So exciting, I know you are about to burst! That photo is incredible - I'm just loving being there too, in my mind. Take in everything, sights, smells, sounds, tastes and be sure to share it all - would love to hear about everything, Take care, have a blast! :)

The problem with Italy is that once you leave, you can't stop wanting to go back. It's funny that for our trip last year, I was the one who was dying to go. Kevin was interested in going, but he had other priorities. Our Italy trip was an interruption in his quest to visit every national park in the US. Once we were there, he started expressing a desire to open a horse farm in Tuscany and learn to speak Italian.

Wow, can sense your excitement about being back in Italy. Have a fab time and looking forward to your posts. We were there for the first time back in spring and we both fell for it. Looking forward to returning. :)

Sounds like a wonderful arrival!I am craving a return as well but this time I have to include a country that has been calling to me since I first enrolled in French immersion.

Italy was such an inspirational experience though. I found that I fell in love with small towns, especially in the Tuscan and Veneto regions. And in Venice, Florence and Rome all of the best restaurants would be small unassuming places down dark alleys and hard to find.

Have a wonderful time.... The last time we were there I had the best (and simplest) linguine with fresh tomato sauce - and I don't know if it was the sauce, the view (seaside) or just being there... It was our first lunch after crossing the border.

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My blog More Than Burnt Toast has been my passion for almost 9 years and has evolved with me over time as I have gained confidence in the kitchen. Follow my travels through Italy and Greece one recipe at a time, upcoming cooking classes at local Okanagan wineries and restaurants, as well as daily experimentation in my own kitchen. Every day we should be excited about what we are eating even if it just means making use of a wonderful find at our local farmers market. I look forward to getting to know you.